3.1 In order for the city to meet its identified affordable housing needs, it is the Council’s objective to deliver affordable housing on residential schemes consisting of 25 dwellings or more, or where sites are larger than 1ha. On these sites, it is expected that at least 25% of the gross number of dwellings to be offered on site will be on an affordable basis.

3.2 It is the Council’s view that the delivery of affordable dwellings on development sites is the most realistic way of achieving development of affordable homes within cohesive and integrated communities.

3.3 To ensure the delivery of homes that are affordable for members of every community within Coventry, the city’s affordable housing policy also responds to spatial considerations that reflect the existing housing stock in areas of the city. This is to avoid over-concentration of particular tenures of affordable housing to secure diverse communities and also to provide homes in areas of the city where the market cannot.

3.4 The diagram below is part of policy H6 in the adopted Local Plan 2017, and demonstrates the concentration of social housing across Coventry[1] .

3.5 The figure demonstrates the concentration of social housing that is managed by a Registered Provider within the CV-postcodes of the city. As the figure shows, stronger shades of red demonstrate higher concentrations of social housing within corresponding CV postcodes.

3.6 It is the objective of Policy H6 to promote varying tenure mixes in the city to ensure that residential proposals more appropriately reflect their locations in Coventry. For example, Policy H6 requires an affordable tenure split of 10% Social/Affordable Rent and 15% Intermediate Provision in areas with existing high concentrations of social housing. This is to both ensure that there is no over-concentration of social rent, but also to promote affordable home ownership in areas where there is a shortfall of opportunity to get on the housing ladder.

3.7 In areas of medium social housing concentration, the tenure is split evenly to maintain a more equal mix of housing types.

3.8 It is considered that those postcode areas of the city with low social housing concentration, housing affordability is of a greater issue given the higher cost of housing. As such, the Policy attempts to resolve this by promoting a greater proportion of Social/Affordable Rent tenure mix of 15% and a 10% Intermediate Provision.

3.9 This spatial element of Policy H6 Affordable Housing provides a framework for residential development proposals in the city. Whilst it provides a basis in how developers and applicants should approach on-site affordable housing provision; it is expected that proposals should reflect the requirements and need of the city at the time of the application’s submission. This should take into account the strategic obligations as explained in the policy, as well as other material considerations such as evidence base documentation, the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Policy Guidance.